The Allies invade France while Hitler sleeps

Rating: 6/10 (23 November 2017)

RELEASED IN 1962 and directed by several directors, "The Longest Day" chronicles the Normandy invasion by the Allies on June 6, 1944, known as D-Day when American, British and Canadian forces boldly landed on five beaches over a fifty-mile stretch.
What's interesting about this classic war flick is that they used Americans to play Americans, Brits to play Brits, Germans to play Germans and French to play French. In addition, each of the segments was shot by five different directors, including the parachuting episodes.
The all-star cast includes luminaries like John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Robert Ryan, Eddie Albert, Henry Fonda, Red Buttons, Sean Connery, Jeffrey Hunter, Steve Forrest and Roddy McDowall. Furthermore, the opening military percussion-oriented score is superlative. The movie saves the compelling invasion of the Normandy beaches for the last act (unlike the mawkish "Saving Private Ryan," which starts with it).
Unfortunately, the movie loses points for the B&W photography, which is inexplicable for such an all-star early 60's blockbuster. There are also some hackneyed or awkward parts, like the scene where a ravishing French woman & her bicycle suddenly appear at the railroad tracks by two skeptical German soldiers. Why Sure! Another arguable problem is that the ambitious scope of the film prevents the story from focusing on any one group of notable characters, which make the proceedings seem like a thrilling docudrama rather than a gripping action/drama.
Nonetheless, "The Longest Day" is a must to catch a glimpse of what it was like on D-Day on several fronts, not to mention you get to see the proverbial big picture.
THE MOVIE RUNS 2 minutes shy of 3 hours; and was shot in France. WRITERS: Cornelius Ryan with additions by several others.
GRADE: B-